when music speaks

first of all, i want to wish everybody a merry christmas eve. and to those who do not celebrate, happy holidays!

i guess you can say i saved this very special, personal playlist for this occasion – no, it’s not a “favourite christmas songs” playlist, unfortunately… maybe next year! in one of my music therapy classes this past term, our professor asked each one of us to share a song to the class that holds some meaning to us, in order to understand just how important music is in everybody’s lives and how emotional it can be. also, to create our musical identity.

“where words fail, music speaks.” – hans christian andersen

chaos – mutemath

lover dearest – marianas trench

fix you (cover) – emmett cahill (celtic thunder)

liquid spirit – gregory porter

walking with our eyes closed – gungor

border line – king krule

i want – alejandra ribera

let the river run (arr. c.h. johnson)

hide and seek – imogen heap

for you – serena ryder

cry cry cry – taylor kurta

i am not alone – kari jobe

bless the broken road – rascal flatts

the voice within – christina aguilera

the parable – the contortionist

red light – f(x)

priceless – for king and country

delilah (cover) – mamamoo

a mother’s prayer – keith and kristyn getty, moya brennan

suit & tie/pyt/thinkin bout you – tori kelly

smile – nat king cole

happiness is not a place – the wind and the wave

as you can see, there are many different genres/styles of music here. it was quite the experience, learning about some of my classmates’ most personal moments of their past. and like people say, “you are what you listen to”, so i felt i got to know them a little bit more.

for my song, i chose nat king cole’s version of smile. back in around grade 10, i stumbled across a newfound burst of optimism and positivity, and wished to spread that with everybody – that’s when i first came across this song. as for how it holds meaning in my personal life, 2016 has thrown at me (and my family) some fairly tough situations, and i can say that it’s been quite the eventful, negatively but also positively.

i had a few friends ask me how i’m able to keep my life together and stay positive and strong, throughout these events. i have many not-so-secret secrets – techniques, skills, resources – that i will save for another time, but one thing is smiling. if you know me, i pretty much only have two faces: concentrated/focused, or smiling. the lyrics in this song basically embody what i’m about: smile even if you’re breaking on the inside; things will get better, so just hold on for a little while longer!